Ryan Phillippe didn’t just play a father figure on Motorheads — he was a major support system for the show’s cast.
“It’s a position that I take seriously. I’ve had a long career — luckily and fortunately — in this industry. There’s a lot of good and bad that I’ve experienced that I want to help share with them to avoid certain things or to learn from mistakes,” Phillippe, 50, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the show’s premiere on Tuesday, May 20. “So it is similar to the way you are with your children, where you want to just give them the best of your knowledge. I had that experience with some of the young cast members on this show.”
In Prime Video’s new coming-of-age show, Phillippe plays former NASCAR mechanic Logan Maddox who now owns an auto body shop in his hometown. Phillippe’s character has an important presence that greatly resembles the actor’s role for the cast including Michael Cimino, Melissa Collazo, Nathalie Kelley, Uriah Shelton, Nicolas Cantu, Mia Healey, Josh Macqueen and Drake Rodger.
“I grew up watching him and was a big fan — although I didn’t tell him that. Then when we started working together, I think there was a bit of a pinch me moment,” Kelley, 41, who plays Logan’s former sister-in-law, Samantha, exclusively told Us during the Motorheads press junket. “Then I realized he’s human.”
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Kelley specifically pointed out Phillippe’s behavior as a Virgo, adding, “He held up a scene once for 30 minutes because the side view mirror was not positioned right. But it was pretty hilarious to watch. That was actually our first scene together and I looked at him and I was like, ‘OK, got it.’”
Cimino, 25, who plays Logan’s nephew, had a similar experience.
“He has an amazing attention to detail, Honestly I’m not going to lie — he’s always right. There was this one scene where the sun wasn’t in the right place and he’s like, ‘Guys, we need to wait until it’s golden hour. We’re not going to shoot this because it’s not going to get the right light,’” Cimino shared with Us. “I am so glad he made that call. The scene is so much better for it.”
After sharing many of her scenes with Phillippe, Collazo, 24, referred to the actor as “masterful,” telling Us, “When you’re shooting a scene with him, it feels like you’re just having a conversation. Then you’ll watch back and it’s like, ‘How the hell is he doing that?’ It’s so crazy because it feels very bouncy when you’re acting but then you watch it back and it’s just the most beautiful performance. … I love him and he’s an incredible actor. It’s ridiculous.”
Motorheads “follows a group of outsiders in a once-thriving Rust Belt town as they form an unlikely friendship over a mutual love of automobiles.” (In addition to the main cast, Phillippe’s 21-year-old son, Deacon, was cast in the role of his character’s younger brother in flashbacks.)
While not every cast member got to share screen time with Phillippe, they still understand how impactful his presence was. Healey, 26, specifically felt honored to work on the same project as Phillippe.
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“The time that I did spend on set with him, [all I could think is] he’s just such a legend. He is an icon and so willing and open and friendly and just very present and very cool,” she shared before Macqueen, 23, jumped in, adding, “He doesn’t carry any of that. I remember quite early on just sitting down at lunch and being like, ‘Oh s***, you are Mr. Cruel Intentions. You’ve been killing it for years.’ He’s just sitting there so personable and if you needed anything it was very approachable.”
While Rodger’s interactions with Phillippe ended up limited to “dieting and working out,” he was still thrilled by the opportunity. Cantu, 21, and Shelton, 28, also had nothing but praise after being paired off with Phillippe in many scenes.
“He was one of our superiors but to me he just felt like one of the guys. He was just super friendly and super open to talking about anything at all. It didn’t even have to be about work. He could give you advice on your life,” Cantu, who portrays Marcel, noted. “I think with Marcel and Logan, he kind of takes on that fatherly role. It’s one of the more beautiful relationships. It’s just one of many heartwarming moments in the show.”
Shelton, for his part, told Us how it was “a little intimidating” because of how “established” Phillippe is.
“You want to make a good impression on that guy,” he shared. “He was just the nicest guy. We sat [in my trailer] talking for like 30 or 40 minutes and that was my introduction to him. We found a lot of common ground and stuff we were both interested in. To have an actor who’s got that kind of seniority take that time to go and individually speak with people and get to know him really, really elevated our comfort level. He’s such a great leader on set that the day’s going to go smoothly if he’s there, if there’s a fire, he is going to put it out. He’s just a great guy to work with.”
Motorheads is currently streaming on Prime Video.
